Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil

Father and son were currently squatting in a stinky cell, Shen’s eyes were already a sallow complexion and he looked very haggard.

“When is mother going to send us dinner? I have not eaten an eight treasure duck in a long time.” Zhou Yunsheng had a straw dangling from his mouth, rubbing his board beaten buttocks. Fortunately, he had the habit of strengthening his body when he entered a new world, or he’d now have internal injuries.

Shen father had not been dismissed yet, he was still a court officials so he didn’t share in the beating, but his heart’s torture was a hundred times more painful. He grabbed his son’s ear and rebuked, “You obtuse child, you still want to eat? Quickly put out the person who answered your questions so we don’t have to suffer anymore torture!”

“That is my own writing, how can I put them out?” Zhou Yunsheng clutched his ears, looking wronged.

Shen father saw him still not repent even in this situation, he was not even flustered, so he angrily swung his fist to beat him.

Meanwhile, Shen mother was visiting her daughter in the Seven Prince’s palace.

“Mother go back, I am now worth less than mud in the river. I myself have no guarantee where could I spare the ability to save my father and brother. I sent someone to ask a few times, but the Seven Princes was not willing to see me, more unexpectedly, the Queen Mother also reprimand me. Now I’m forbidden to set foot outside, and I don’t know what month or year I can be free.” Shen Qiao Dan said with tears, her face in despair.

Shen mother was shocked, after a moment she sighed, “Seven Princes intends to stand idly by? Also, your brother in this life has no hope, your father’s career is also ruined, and Shen Jia is useless. Daughter, you have no children and lost have your favored status, what will you do in the future? If I knew this would happen, I would’ve made you have an ordinary family, a stable life.”

They both cried bitterly for lost chances.

West of the courtyard, Xie Yurou inquired from the maid the conversation between the mother and daughter. She dismissed the maid and sneered, “Shen Jia has fallen, Shen Qiao Dan what can you do? The bitter days are just beginning, slowly enjoy it.”

A few loyal maids, all pleasing to the eye, pretended that they didn’t hear anything.

The Seven Princes walked up the steps, saw the peerless beauty reclining on the couch, and his indifferent eyes immediately squeezed out a little smile.

“My husband, Mrs. Shen came, you did not ... ...” Xie Yurou was pretending to be a good and gentle person, she should naturally plead.

“Say no more, my Father is now wrathful, no one can persuade him. I can only silently beg for a blessing for Shen.” Seven Princes coldly said. He knew that much truth, plus Shen Yi Bin was a failure and Shen Hui’s career was basically finished, which meant Shen family wasn’t worth fighting for.

Xie Yurou no longer beseeched, she raised a hand to her lips, and secretly laughed.

Shen mother left the Seven Princes’ house, then brought her son and husband a just baked eight treasure duck. The family of three sat, silent.

“So, our family has become the Seven Princes’ abandoned child?” After a long time, Shen father sighed.

Shen mother nodded, tears surging out.

Zhou Yunsheng was buried in a bowl of hot rice. After eating a duck leg, he opened, “He is now pampering side Imperial Concubine Xie, and sister has been disregarded, also repeatedly disrespected. He abandoned our house, so we will not help him in the future, so we won’t indirectly help cheap Xie.”

Here, he lowered his voice, “Father, how about we cast our lots with someone else?”

Shen Fu’s beard was trembling, one hand pressed into the food box, he roared, “What cast lots? Even our lives are not guaranteed, you want to cast lots?! I do not know where your confidence comes from!”

Zhou Yunsheng finally broke free from Shen father’s fists, face stuck with rice he pleaded, “I give, I am willing to give up the writer! But I want to meet the Emperor before that, or I’ll die!”

Because the Emperor was anxious to find the person who wrote the article, every day he asked questions repeatedly, but Shen Yi Bin was stubborn, even with almost broken buttocks he refused to let go. The Dali Temple was under a lot of pressure to get results, since he was finally willing to give up they quickly arranged for him to meet the Emperor.

Seeing them walking through the courtiers, Tian Chen Emperor waved his hand to hurry them over.

The father and son were brought to the front of the man, knelt down and saluted.

“Who is that person, where is he?” Tian Chen couldn’t wait to probe.

“The Emperor, the far away man is just around the corner, in fact he’s right in front of you.” Zhou Yunsheng’s cheek was littered with a few grains of rice, his appearance was really unsightly.

Tian Chen Emperor’s face instantly darkened.

Zhou Yun Sheng immediately added, “Replying to the Emperor, small me could speak months after birth, three years old I could make poetry. I have a quick-witted, smart and incredible memory. Small me enjoys books and learning. That strategy really was clumsily thought up by small me, please I ask the Emperor for insight!”

Shen Yi Bin’s childhood, no one knew better about it than Shen father. When he heard his son boasting so confidently, he desperately wanted to rush over and block his son’s mouth. But because this was the government hall, and the Emperor was present, he dared not act rashly.

Tian Chen Emperor listened then actually laughed, Then he threw him the book “Huainanzi”, and said, “In a quarter of an hour read it, then recite it, a wrong word will be your death.”

Shen father immediately cold sweat like a waterfall, but Zhou Yun Sheng respectfully replied, “Great Emperor, I don’t need a quarter of an hour, only a few seconds is enough.” He picked up the book, turned it over, returned the book to the Imperial eunuchs, then closed his eyes to recite.

Tian Chen Emperor held the book, his expression turned from cold to awe, then auspicious into a disbelief.

“Wait, start from the third row on the 76th page,” he ordered.

Zhou Yunsheng didn’t stop, from the third row’s first word to the end, not one was missing.

“From the 100^th page, sixth row.”

Zhou Yunsheng continued.

“From the Seventh row of page 38, start from the third word.”

Zhou Yunsheng nodded and did according to his words. His soul was powerful, his memory abilities was not that exaggerated, but he also had the super search engine 007. Even if Tian Chen Emperor found the most uncommon book in Zhou dynasty, he could still recite it.

Tian Chen Emperor was stunned, speechless for a long time, after he regained his senses he thought of the unlikely but still possible chance that he had just memorized only that book. So he sent people to the Imperial Academy to look for a just finished dictionary.

The dictionary had not yet come out to the public, only the compilation staff and Tian Chen Emperor has seen it. It had a millions words, a mighty volume.

“I’ll give you a quarter of an hour, recite this dictionary.” He didn’t throw the book, but let the eunuch closest to him hand it over. His tone also eased a lot, anyone could see he had started to believe.

Shen father was kneeling in place, from time to time he turned around to look at his son, as if he didn’t know him.

Zhou Yunsheng promised and with the fastest speed he turned the dictionary, then under Heaven Emperor’s test he recited forward, back, inverted, and from specific parts, showing his ability to never forget.

Tian Chen Emperor was completely served, he was silent for a long time before he asked, “Since you have such a big talent, why did you have to buy the exam in advance? Was it not in vain?”

Zhou Yun Sheng revealed an expression of helplessness, “Great Imperial Emperor, small me this child thought it was a good idea to buy the test questions. Small me only realized after spending thousands of money that such an expensive price must only be for something to let a person cheat. So after glancing at it I threw it away. Small me was ignorant, please Emperor forgive me.”

Tian Chen nodded and pondered, after a moment he gave in to temptation and asked, “Your two tax law is not a perfect policy, you know why?”

Zhou Yunsheng replied, his attitude neither overbearing nor overly humble, “Great Imperial Emperor, small me knows, but because of the test page space limit, many words could not make it into the test. The two tax laws has four drawbacks: First, long-term adjustment households, the tax burden of the rich and the poor; the amount of money in the tax portion of the two taxes, because of the court money, the market cash flow is insufficient, it would soon produce a light weight phenomenon. The people will want to sell silk, grain or other products to pay taxes, and increase their life burden; three, Land taxation under the two tax system, land annexation would be more prevalent, rich ... ... ”

He made a breakdown of the implementation of the two tax law and the possible problems. On this basis, he suggest the more reasonable “one whip” and “tanding rumu” tax systems, and their long-term vision. His thoughtful thinking, and the clarity of his procedures pleased Tian Chen and the court.

“Come, son of Shen and Shen official take a seat.” Tian Chen Emperor personally walked down the throne and buttered up the two people with a spring like smile. As long as they were a real scholar, they would be able to get his preferential treatment, not to mention Shen Yi Bin was a once in a lifetime genius.

Zhou Yunsheng’s ass was in pain, he sat down and shook, attracting Heaven Emperor’s guilt. The two people talked from tax reform to land reform, and the border war. Zhou Yun Sheng’s refined speech and sharp and thought-provoking sentences invoked Chen Emperor’s excitement, he was anxious to keep him in the palace to talk all night.

Shen father stayed silent, holding a tea cup, steadily staring at his son.

Seeing the palace preparing for evening, Tian Chen Emperor remembered that the father and son had wounds, and were hungry, so he quickly called the doctors and chefs. After taking care of their wounds and eating dinner, Tian Chen Emperor personally guided the two to the door of the palace, laughing, “Yi Bin is so talented, why did you stay so low key?”

Zhou Yunsheng blushed red, he bowed, “Great Emperor, because my father is eager to succeed, if I let him know the wisdom of small me, he would certainly keep me at home all day, to spend the whole week in class and not go out and play. Small me is a lover of slapstick, I cannot sit still, so I clumsily hid.”

Shen Yi Bin was only 17 years old, because of his parents’ care he inherited a fashionable and full appearance. His round face lightly flushed, he actually looked pure and lovely, even the sticky rice on his cheek did not damage his charm.

Tian Chen Emperor carefully looked at him, the more he looked the more he liked, then he personally picked the rice off his face, laughed and said, “You were hiding really clumsily”.

Zhou Yunsheng was embarrassed, which caused the Emperor to laugh again.

The father and son boarded the carriage. When they left the palace grounds, Shen father finally caught up to reality, he swung his fist against his son, “I let you hide, I let you hide! Really, if not for facing death in prison, you intended to hide for a lifetime? Is that it?”

Zhou Yunsheng laughed and jokingly said, “Really, only the father can know the son, this son doesn’t want to be an official. I do not want to be an old, tired out official, every day going to a dark office.”

Shen father finished playing around, he suddenly found the situation funny and laughed: “Even if you do not want to be one, how can the Emperor let you escape? I thought that Shen had no way out, but I didn’t know I actually born such a good son. Good son, are you hurt?”

Zhou Yunsheng was nauseated by his father’s disgustingly sweet tone.

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T/N:

One whip- Wikipedia “a fiscal law first instituted during the middle Ming dynasty, in the early 16th century, and then promulgated throughout the empire in 1580 by Zhang Juzheng.”

Tanding rumu – Chinaknowledge “The fusion of the field tax with the poll tax... a tax reform of the early Qing period. It made taxation easier by allowing to pay both taxes in money, and not in money or corvée service.”